Author Archives: birdsinmyviewfinder

I don’t need to watch out for these while hiking around here in New England. I saw quite a few American Alligators on a recent trip to Florida though. I’m not that good at estimating size but a conservative guess is that it was at least 10 feet (3 meters) long. It was the biggestContinue reading “Non-Avian Guest: American Alligator”

Common Gallinules become very territorial during mating and breeding season. Here two males approach each other while displaying their white tail feathers. What starts as a stare down ends up as a bit of a brawl. The combatants split up after much squawking and splashing with the loser retreating to another part of the stream.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are native to Central and South America. They have expanded their range northward and can be found in some of the Gulf Coast states. The pink bill and long legs are two noted features. And yes, they do whistle.

A Reddish Egret jabs at his small fish prey.

The Grey-headed Swamphen is native to Iraq, southern Iran to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and northwestern India. But this member of the rail family is now found in central and southern Florida as well after being introduced in the late 1990s.

He did finally manage to swallow the catfish after lots of maneuvering.

This medium sized buteo is aptly named. The Red-shouldered Hawk is a fairly common hawk in the eastern half of the US and are found near wet forests. They are also found along the California coast into Baja California.

These very active waders can be mistaken for their smaller cousins, Little Blue Herons. The shaggy rust-colored neck feathers are a good field mark since the Little Blue’s neck is noticeably less shaggy and purplish in color. While Little Blue Herons and other waders stalk their prey fish, Reddish Egrets will run around, kicking upContinue reading “Snapshot: Reddish Egret”

Two wading birds fishing together. The Yellow-crowned Night Heron has snatched a fish while the Little Blue Heron keeps searching.

The Black Scoter is a sea duck that winters along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America. They begin courting mates in December and you can hear the males distinctive call as large flocks gather together. The males are easy to spot with the bright orange knob on their bill. Males perform courtship displaysContinue reading “Feathered Action: Black Scoter Courtship”